Peace Lilies: Everything You Need to Know

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The peace lily, or Spathiphyllum, is a very popular houseplant known for its gorgeous white blooms. It’s not uncommon to find a peace lily in the home of someone who doesn’t consider themselves a “plant person” since they are low maintenance and all-around beautiful plants! In this post, we’ll learn all about caring for peace lilies.

Background

The peace lily is a flowering plant that is native to tropical countries. Their leaves can grow about 5 to 25 inches in length. There are many varieties of peace lily, but the typical houseplant usually grows around two feet tall. The leaves are medium green to dark, forest green in color and shiny. The leaves generally point upwards and outwards, but in my photos, you’ll see that my plant is a bit “leggy”—most likely due to lack of sufficient light.

The peace lily grows beautiful white flowers in the form of a spathe that forms around a spadix. The spadix is usually yellow in color, but that can vary. The flower will turn green over time and then die. When a flower first appears, you’ll see a white bump forming out of a leaf stem. This is a very exciting moment of peace lily parenthood…maybe because mine doesn’t flower very often!

The bump will eventually detach and open up to reveal the spadix. Peace lilies can have one flower or a few flowers at a time. Mine usually flowers once, dies a few months later, then another one will appear.

Where Can I Find a Peace Lily?

You can easily find a peace lily to purchase on Etsy! Check out this gorgeous peace lily from one of my favorite Etsy shops.

Caring for a Peace Lily

The peace lily is a relatively easy houseplant, which is why a lot of people have them. For me, there was a bit of a learning curve at the beginning because this was one of the first plants I’d ever owned.

Soil

No special soil is needed. Just a well-draining indoor plant potting mix. They’ll also do well in a mix that holds some moisture.

Light

Peace lilies do well in bright to medium indirect sunlight. The leaves will burn if the plant is receiving too much light.

If your peace lily is growing leggy (like mine), try putting it in a place that gets a little more light. Leggy plants grow longer stems and form a stretched-out look as they try to reach more light.

Water

Peace lilies like to be somewhat moist, but not totally wet. This helps their leaves maintain their shine while sitting in too wet of a pot can cause them to brown, or worse, root rot.

Water when the soil is dry about an inch down. I find that I water mine every week and a half or so. If the leaves are drooping significantly, your plant is telling you that it needs to be watered. After a good watering, they should perk back up pretty quickly.

Peace lilies like humidity—check out my post on easy ways to create humidity for your houseplants!

Repotting

When your plant has clearly outgrown its pot, when roots are coming out of the drainage holes, or when it’s drooping more often, it’s time to repot. This will probably be about every two years, but your plant will be the ultimate judge of this. Choose a pot that’s the next size up from the current pot and has drainage.

Fertilizer

A balanced, water-soluble houseplant fertilizer will work fine for peace lilies. Be sure to read the fertilizer instructions on when and how to use it.

Pruning

No pruning is necessary aside from removing dying leaves or flowers. It’s best to wait to remove the dying leaf until it gets to the point where it can be gently plucked away. When the flower turns brown, you should cut that off with sterilized plant shears or sharp scissors.

Propagation

In my experience, peace lily propagation works better in soil as opposed to water. Propagation of this plant is done by dividing the rhizome, which are horizontal “stems” that grow underneath the surface of the soil. They are where new plants sprout from.

Find a baby plant and gently snip it away from the rhizome and untangle any roots that are tangled with the mother plant’s roots. It’s OK if there is some breakage, but try to be as careful as possible. Peace lily roots don’t get too thick but if you need to you can use a sterilized, sharp knife to help separate the roots. Try to keep as much intact as possible, though.

Plant the baby in a small pot with drainage, water it, and carry on like you would with your other peace lilies!

How Do I Get My Peace Lily to Flower?

As I mentioned earlier, my peace lily doesn’t flower often. Increasing light, using a houseplant fertilizer, and watering appropriately can help a peace lily flower. Peace lilies only bloom a few times a year, if that, but once it does the flower should last around two months. Don’t get discouraged if yours doesn’t bloom, though. They are still beautiful plants!

Additional Information

• Just because your plant isn’t flowering doesn’t mean it’s unhealthy. Some plants may never flower or flower very rarely. It all has to do with its environment.
• This plant is very toxic to animals, so keep this out of your furry friend’s reach!